Program Demonstration

Vince commented on Group 1 and Group 2

Troy Rector

&

Vincent Stults

Ball State University

Abstract for EDAC 634

HERE IS OUR PROGRAM DEMONSTRATION

ROLES: Troy focused on the Abstract

               Vince focused on the Website

The Adult Learner Program Design

    Our program design was a cultural immersion/ service learning project in Dearborn, Michigan.  The program would facilitate a cross cultural learning opportunity in the Arabic community.  Through the fundamentals of transformative learning, the program would allow the adult learners to learn and grow in a unique method while being of assistance to a community. 

    The program has allowed us as future adult educators to view other adult learning programs that use transformative learning theory as its principal theory of design.  This was discovered during both the literature review as well as the program review.  By looking at other adult programs and their features, we were able to create a program and have it evaluated by adult education professionals.  These four steps enabled us to stay focused on the theory of transformative learning while “thinking outside the box”

    Lessons learned during the four steps proved invaluable.  From the literature review and program review, we soon discovered how much “into the weeds” an adult educator could get when doing research.  Staying open, flexible, and broader might have been a better approach.  Once we entered in the program design phase, we stayed focused on transformative learning but got “bogged down in the details”.  Whether it was formal wording or theoretical references, it was by far more technical then everything needed to be.  We also learned that elaboration on certain items within a program doesn’t necessarily equate to long explanations.  Short and concise descriptions might have been a better approach to the program design.  One critique by an education professional hinted that we “went down that rabbit hole” yet stopped short of explaining to the reader or interested student what those big words meant.  

    In the end, transformative learning would indeed occur during our cultural immersion project.  Part of the process involves self-reflection and regardless of detailed and “wordy” we got with the design, that self-reflection would take place resulting in transformation for the student.  Transformational learning theory was applied throughout the project and both Vincent and I grew as future adult educators.

HERE IS OUR PROGRAM DEMONSTRATION